Tech Talk Live Notes for 1/31/11

Tech Talk Live (football and basketball season)

When: Every Monday from 7:00-9:00 during football season, 7:00-8:00 during basketball season.

Where: Click here for a list of radio stations, and to find the link for listening to the show on the Internet (look to the right on the hokiesports.com page that loads when you click the link). You can see the show in person Bull & Bones Brewhaus & Grill in Blacksburg.

• Jeff Allen was the difference in the Miami game. He had his 37th career
  double-double. He really played well.
• Miami is very talented, and it was a good win for the Hokies. Tech did a
  great job protecting the ball, and their pace against the zone was very
  good. Greenberg is pleased that the team showed the toughness to bounce back
  from a tough loss.
• Tech played pretty well for 34 minutes against Georgia Tech, but they
  didn’t play well at all over the last six minutes. The Hokies aren’t as bad
  as they looked down the stretch in that game.
• Greenberg put Terrell Bell on Durand Scott near the end of the game,
  because he wanted a bigger body on him. Scott can score in a variety of
  ways.
• Tech had two possessions near the end of the game when they played great
  defense, but didn’t finish the possession. But overall, they played well
  defensively. They wanted to force them to take contested shots, and they did
  a pretty good job of that.
• Ty Garland did a pretty good job defensively, and he showed good poise.
  Jarell Eddie was aggressive, and Manny Atkins hit a huge three-pointer. The
  Hokies got good play from their bench.
• Miami has lost a lot of close games, but their team is really good.
  They’ve got really good guards, and Reggie Johnson is excellent. Victor
  Davila did a great job defensively on Johnson.
• Greenberg and Frank Haith are good friends, and Greenberg thinks Miami
  still has the ability to win a lot of games.
• Victor Davila is playing good basketball right now. If he could just make
  a free throw, he would be even better. He is showing consistency, but more
  importantly he is showing a competitive spirit, which is very important for
  the team.
• Former Tech point guard Shawn Good is the head coach at Christiansburg
  High School, and he’s got his team to a 16-0 record right now. Greenberg
  thinks he’s a very good coach.
• Greenberg and assistant coach Adrian Autry went to Suffolk over the
  weekend to watch 2011 signee Dorian Finney-Smith play. He’s really good, and
  he’s going to make Greenberg seem a whole lot smarter. He’s got a great feel
  for the game.
• All of the players in the 2011 recruiting class are having good seasons.
  They are all qualified. It’s a good class. The class is part of the
  foundation. When Tech left the Big East, they were the worst program in that
  league. The foundation is getting stronger every year.
• Greenberg is really proud of the team. They lost four of their top eight
  players, but they still have a winning record seven games into the league
  schedule. That’s a good accomplishment.
• Zabian Dowell had four points in 13 minutes in his most recent game with
  the Suns. He’s the first guy in the gym and the last to leave. He’s trying
  to make a positive statement.
• Malcolm Delaney showed a lot of patience on Sunday. Miami was pushing out
  on him hard, and he didn’t force shots. He let the game come to him.
• Victor Davila did a great job of catching the ball in traffic against
  Miami. That was key in getting him to the free throw line so much. Now he
  just needs to make the free throws.
• Greenberg feels like the Hokies have a really nice mix of players. He does
  wish he had one more frontcourt player so they could have some more size off
  the bench.
• Starting with the Miami game, Tech is playing three games in six days.
  They have NC State on Wednesday, and Boston College on Saturday.
• Because of their lack of players, Tech hasn’t held a fullcourt practice in
  six weeks. Greenberg is scared to do it, because the Hokies don’t need
  anymore injuries. He also wants to keep the team fresh. This time of year is
  about the little things.
• 14 of the top 25 teams in the country lost last week. Syracuse has lost
  four in a row. Duke didn’t show up against St. John’s. Coach K said when he
  looked in his players’ eyes, they just didn’t have it, and he’s one of the
  great motivators in basketball. It’s a long season, and there are going to
  be losses for everybody.
• The best player Greenberg has ever worked with? Well, the guy who had the
  best career would probably be Byron Russell. He had a 13 year NBA career.
  Greenberg is fortunate to have coached a lot of great players.
• The crowd was great against Miami. They stayed in the game for all 40
  minutes. It’s very important for the players to know that the fans are still
  behind them when coming off a tough loss.
• Greenberg likes the NC State team (Tech’s opponent Wednesday night). Tracy
  Smith is a load on the inside. He creates space. They have good guards and
  physical players. Scott Wood can really shoot the three-pointer. C.J. Leslie
  is a McDonald’s All-American. Tech has to keep him off the glass. They are a
  very talented team, but they are hit or miss. They got up 30-12 at Clemson,
  and then lost the game.
• This will be a big game for both teams. NC State is really in trouble if
  they lose it. The Hokies can pick up a big road win and go to 5-3 if they
  win. Overall, Tech has played pretty consistent basketball.
• Greenberg doesn’t recruit junior college players. He doesn’t think that’s
  the right way to build a program. JUCO’s are a quick fix. He really wants to
  know the kids he recruits.

Monday was Day 2,256 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of the Commonwealth Cup.